The Great Game
by Azlira
Summary: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, John Hart, Alonso Frame, and a suspicious game of "Apples to Apples"... who knows what will happen!


**In another, better, brighter universe, our four favorite boys get to spend a playful evening together... this will probably become at least a three-parter in the near future. Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>It was the early evening, but, having nothing of consequence to do that day, Ianto Jones was whittling away the time down in the Torchwood archives. He enjoyed that simple, mindless work – he could let his thoughts wander every which way as he chipped into his backed-up mountains of files.<p>

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Jack walking towards him. "Don't stare," he thought, trying to keep a hold of the files in his hands. "He probably isn't down here to speak with you." Jack was walking straight towards him, however. He stopped just short of colliding with him, their faces mere inches apart. Ianto tried to pay attention to his work.

"Jones!"

Ianto dropped the files. They flew all over the ground, causing Ianto to sputter apologies as he picked them up. Jack chuckled heartily. As Ianto got up, he found himself up against the cabinets, Jack's body pressing against his. He could feel his heart beating rapidly and Jack's hot breath on his face. "How had they even gotten there?" he thought. Things always happened quite quickly with Jack. One moment, Ianto had been working, and the next –

"Fancy a drink in my office?"

"Are you asking me up on a date?" Ianto could play this game as well.

"Interested?" Jack stepped closer to Ianto than he'd thought possible. He stared piercingly into his eyes, and, suddenly, Ianto went weak at the knees. Try as he might, he'd never be on par with the flirt that was Captain Jack Harkness.

"Yes… yes."

As soon as he heard the affirmative response, Jack bolted up the stairs and out of the archives.

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><p>Alonso Frame was sitting comfortably in his desk, watching the rift monitor, when Jack bounded towards him.<p>

"How are you doing this evening, Captain?"

"Well, well, thank you Alonso. Ianto and I are having drinks this evening in my office. Care to join us?"

Alonso nodded, and turned back to the computer screen.

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><p>"John! Do you want to – "<p>

"God, yes.

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><p>Ianto arrived at the door to Jack's office with a few minutes to spare, a tray carrying two mugs of steaming, freshly brewed coffee in hand. Jack hadn't specified of what nature the drink was, so he took the liberty of preparing one of his virtuosic rounds of the heavenly drink. Not wanting to be either late or a second too soon, he checked his stopwatch again. One minute longer. He turned the watch over and over again in his free hand, marveling at its dull charm. Thirty-five seconds.<p>

"Nice to see you this evening, Mr. Jones."

Ianto turned around. Alonso Frame was briskly ascending the staircase to Jack's office. He had thought that Jack had invited only him. Was this going to be a staff meeting? "Idiot!" he thought. "A romantic evening between yourself and Jack? Don't flatter yourself, Jones." Why had he let himself get excited? All he reaped from that was the pangs of disappointment.

"Good evening, Alonso," he stammered, bowing slightly.

"Any idea what Jack has planned for the night?" asked Alonso.

Ianto could feel himself breathe a sigh of relief. If it were not going to be an emotionally fulfilling meeting, at least it wasn't going to concern work. As exciting as the nature of Torchwood was, Ianto always felt a bit out of the inner circle. The nature of his job in particular was so mundane. He loved working there and knowing the people who were his effective colleagues – but when it came down to it, he was just their office-boy, their butler. That day had been nothing out of the ordinary for him – he filed papers in the archives and cleaned up the hub. Not only did he find his typical work boring, he felt a bit of an outsider when it came to discussing serious business.

"I…. haven't the faintest."

"Well, never a dull moment with Jack! I guess we'll know shortly."

The door to the office flung open. There was Jack, standing broad and tall, his hair perfect even at that point in the workday. He flashed his trademark grin, his teeth impossibly white, and said, "Going to keep me waiting all night?"

Alonso and Ianto walked into Jack's office. Not quite sure what to do with himself, Ianto stood by the door, fidgeting a bit in his shoes until he remembered the tray of coffee in his hand. Unfortunately, the shock of his discovery made him jump ever so slightly, which was more than enough to let the tray slide from his grasp.

"Woah, slow down there, cowboy!" Jack dove in to catch the tray just before it collided with the hardwood floor. "Can't let this stuff go to waste, can we?"

Ianto blushed. "Well… um... thanks… for catching it, I mean."

Jack laughed at him. "Jones, Ianto Jones, whatever am I to do with you?" he said, stepping closer to him.

Once again, the office door was brutally forced from its closed state. As it crashed open, the three men inside the room turned to investigate. They each surveyed the sight in front of them – brown-red boots, soft from years of wear; dark blue jeans, tight and slightly torn; a large leather holster serving as a belt; a clinging shirt; and a deep red Napoleonic era jacket with gold embroidery. They then saw the man, a smirk on his face as he twirled a pair of handcuffs around his left hand and pushed back the gun on his right hip with the other.

Captain John Hart's eyes sparkled with delight. "So, boys, how rough are we getting tonight?" he said, laughing to himself as he shut the door behind him.

"Be gentle!" Jack shouted back.

"So, drinks!" retorted John, producing a sleek glass bottle of Jagermeister from his back pocket. He placed it on the table, and then removed more vials from his various pockets. As soon as a veritable collection had piled up on Jack's desk, he chose a tall bottle and uncorked it with his teeth, guzzling its liquid contents greedily. The other three men just stared, Jack in disgust, Ianto in awe, and Alonso with indifference, prompting John to grab another bottle and toss it in their general direction.

For once in his life, Ianto's reflexes reacted quickly, as his hands grasped the bottle that was flying imminently towards his head. He fumbled it around in his hands for a few moments, and then eventually gained control over the pesky object, setting it down beside him. He hardly noticed as Alonso picked it up and perused the label, then indulging in its contents.

The four men stood there for a few minutes, three of them observing the awkward silence while John satiated his sudden thirst. Noticing the apparent stalemate in the room, Jack lifted himself up, and began addressing the congregation.

"Anyone fancy a game?"  
>"Of anything in particular?" Alonso decided to inquire, noting the need to break the ice.<p>

Jack grinned, and walked behind his desk to retrieve something from the drawer. He reemerged carrying a bright red box.

Ianto was taken aback. It was a game – an actual, normal game. When had Jack ever been straight forward before? He admitted to himself that he found it a bit of a relief. It was difficult for him to keep up with the pace of Jack's innuendo, and there was not much that could get past him in a children's game.

"What's that, then?" he voiced.

Jack grinned even wider. "Apples to Apples."

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><p><strong>Feedback is love. Please review if you'd like to see more of this!<strong>


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